PINE MEER FOUNDATION
LOUIS & MELBA
SCHOTT FOUNDATION
Louis Schott was the brother, close friend and business associate of William C. Schott (Will). They had such a good friendship that Will's son was named after him. On frequent occasions when Will, his brother and his son were together, and to avoid confusion, the brother was typically called Lou and the son was referred to as Louis. An example of these three together is shown in the accompanying 1930 photo with Lou's Cadillac at Pine Meer on the right. Will and his brother Lou were not only active together in business, but often socialized together.
Lou Schott married Melba Herrlinger and their daughter was Melba Ann. The couple had a home near Pine Meer located at the northeast corner of Wynnburne Avenue and Neeb Road. It was across from the Western Hills Country Club, where Will and Lou were both members, and often frequented with some of their other friends.
Melba Ann Schott married Charles Townsend and the couple lived in Clifton, across from the University of Cincinnati. In the couple's later years, they honored Melba Ann's father and mother by establishing the Louis & Melba Schott Foundation in 2005. They also donated artwork by Cincinnati artists to the Taft Museum and various material to the Behringer - Crawford Museum in Covington, KY, including some Bavarian Brewing Co. artifacts and a wardrobe and purse collection that belonged to Melba Schott. Lou passed away in 1967, about 15-years before William C. Schott. Melba Schott died in 1982, a year after Will.
The Louis and Melba Schott Foundation has no affiliation with the Pine Meer Foundation and the two entities are operated completely separately from one another. However, the Pine Meer Foundation would like to recognize the Townsends and the Louis and Melba Schott Foundation by bringing attention to the grants and donations they have provided to numerous Cincinnati area charities since 2005.
For more information about the Louis and Melba Schott Foundation, and to apply for grants that may be available, please contact:
Fifth Third Bank
38 Fountain Square Plaza
Mail Drop 1090HB
Cincinnati, OH 45263
Attn: John Kaminski
Sr. Trust Officer, Wealth & Asset Management
513-534-5749
The background image is a photograph at the side entrance to the Pine Meer Manor House taken in about 1930.
In the center is William C. Schott sitting on a 1930 Cadillac. His brother Lou is on the left and his son Louis L. is on the right.